Machine for making cigar bunches



Oct. 24, 1939. s. CLAUSEN ,177.623

MACHINE FOR MAKING CIGAR BUNCHES Filed June 2, 193? 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l E mun J I 5 "luumullllll lmliw INVENTOR S ZgZ/Wd Clauscn B WfW ATTORNEY- Oct. 24, 1939.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CIGAR BUNCHES S. CLAUSEN Filed June 2, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 53 36 43 b .29 .56. F153. F Z ff 55 1. J 454 18 52 i O u i W In "Hm i 31 55; 43 4 443 5 2 I! I) Mr (In, 1 27 l 48 47 K i U 7 45 INVENTOR 17 gigurClausen ATTORNEY Oct. 24, 1939. s CLAUSEN 2,177,623

momma FOR MAKING CIGAR BUNCHES Filed June 2, 1937 4 Sheets-Shet 3 h H II i I '1 E! E:

INVENTOR SIGURD CLAUSEN BY ATTORNEY PM li n 1M- Oct. 24, 1939. 5. CLAUSEN 2,177,623

MACHINE FOR MAKING CIGAR BUNCHES Filed June 2, 193'. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 8 6f FIG. 9

f (53/ I g o Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CIGAR BUNOHES Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 146,008

22 Claims.

This invention relates to cigar machines, and more particularly to bunch rolling mechanisms for making composite bunches of long and short filler tobacco.

f the two general types of cigars now made,

' the long filler cigar is usually more preferred by smokers due to the fact that it draws better, is relatively stronger insofar as breakage is concerned, has a firm feel and due to the long filler used there is little likelihood that particles of the tobacco will work into the smokers mouth during smoking of the cigar. With the short filler cigar particles of tobacco will invariably Work into the'smokers mouth, thereby causing "some annoyance. Also, there is a difference in the smoking qualities of this type of cigar due to the fact that the filler which consists of small pieces of tobacco must be either concentrated or molded to shape and the air passages tend to be restricted.

' The present invention contemplates the formation of cigars generally of the short filler type but having added thereto some of the characteristics 'of a long filler cigar.

f It is an object of this invention to provide a method of and apparatus for producing cigars which will have certain of the qualities of both long and short filler cigars.

It is also an object to provide a method of and apparatus for forming composite cigar bunches of long and short filler by assembling the filler 'tobaccos in a novel manner so as to cause the long filler to hold the short filler in firm contact in a bunch and prevent the short filler from working out at the ends of the bunch.

It is a further object to provide a method of and machine for forming composite cigar bunches which includes forming a layer of long filler tobacco of predetermined size and thickness, placing a charge of short filler thereon and forming a bunch therefrom.

' It is a further object to provide mechanism for forming'composite cigar bunches in which means for conveying layers of long filler tobacco cooperates with short filler feeding mechanism to associate both types of tobacco for formation into a composite bunch.

The invention also consists in the provision of novel means for forming and conveying charges of long filler tobacco.

The invention also consists in mechanism for forming improved cigars generally of the short filler type in which long filler tobacco is rolled in and around the short filler to form a composite bunch which results in a cigar having more body,

more stifiness and strength, and better smoking qualities.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists of certain combinations and constructions which will be hereinafter fully described, and then set forth more specifically in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of -a cigar machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective front view of certain positions of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the long filler mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of certain parts shown in Fig. 3; 20

Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the transfer device, taken on line 55 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the same, taken on line 6-3 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is also a sectional side elevation of the transfer device, showing the delivery of the long filler charge upon the rolling apron;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of the foot pedal control device;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the foot pedal control mechanism; and

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view showinga charge of long filler tobacco positioned in the loop in the rolling apron, with the short filler measuring device depositing a charge of short filler tobacco in the loop of the belt.

Referring to the drawings, the frame I l of the cigar machine supports a table l2 upon which a bunch rolling table I3 is mounted. A bracket I4 fixed to the frame ll provides a support for a long filler transfer device, indicated generally at I8, which effects the transfer of charges of long filler tobacco to the rolling mechanism.

The transfer device i8 is mounted for lateral or tilting movement to and from bunch rolling 45 table l3, and also for movement above the table to and from the short filler feeding mechanism indicated generally at S. The device 18 is mounted for movement to and from feed S on a lever 2| pivoted at IE on bracket l5 which forms a part of bracket 14. Attached to lever 2| at 20 is an adjustable link [9 which is also pivotally connected at 23 to lever 22 fulcrumed on shaft H, which lever is provided with a cam follower 26 engaging with a cam 24 on shaft 25 to impart the described swinging movement to the long filler transfer device it. A rod 21 adjustably secured to transfer device it at 560. and to an extension on lever H at 27a cooperates with members described hereinafter to produce a parallel motion in the movement of the transfer device to and from charge receiving and charge emptying positions. The transfer device in the form illustrated comprises a chamber or pocket 28, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This chamber is furnished with a door 29 which is normally kept in closed position, but which for illustrative purposes in shown open. See Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6.

The door 29 is pivotally mounted at 35 in supports 36 suitably secured to the upper plate 3'! of the transfer device IS. A' lower plate 38 is connected to upper plate 37 by members 39, id and M, and the two plates 3? and 38 are spaced from each other a suitable distance in order to provide a chamber 28 of sufiicient size and depth to accommodate charges of long filler tobacco, placed therein by the machine operator. The layer of tobacco which is usually rather thin may be constituted of one or more leaves spread out on the bottom plate 38 of the chamber, and laid one over the other to form a charge of tobacco of the desired thickness. A lip 29a is carried by the door 29 to enable it to be opened or closed manually, although means are also provided for automatically opening and closing it.

A lever 39 mounted on the fulcrum shaft l1 oscillates the transfer device l8 laterally across the rolling table It (Fig. 3) by means of an adjustable link 32 connected at 33 to lever 30 and at 32a tolever 3!. Cam 24 actuates the lever 30 through a cam follower 3t mounted thereon to position the transfer device it over the rolling table l3 prior to its being operated forward for coaction with the short filler feed mechanism S. The feed mechanism may be of the general type disclosed in Patent 2,021,652 to J. F. Halstead, granted November 19, 1935, in which short filler tobacco is fed from a magazine M, and will not be described further.

When a charge or layer of long filler tobacco has beenconveyed by transfer device it to discharge position it is ejected from the chamber 28 by means 'of an ejector or place 42 slidably mounted between members 37 and 38. The ejector 42 is operated by means of a lever 63 fulcrumed at M on lever 3 l, connected to a link 5i at 50, the other end of which link is joined at 52a to a lug 52 pivoted to a guide rod 120. held by a forked block l ia' attached to ejector Q2. The plunger 42a, which acts as a guide for the ejector, is mounted in forked block 5411 and is guided in a bushing are held by the transfer supporting lug 55a mounted on the lower side of the bottom transfer device place 38. A universal joint 46 attached to one leg 33?) of the lever 53 permits a rod ll to communicate motion from a lever 38 pivoted at 49 to the lever M which operates the ejector 42 to push the thin layer of long filler sidewise from the transfer l8 onto table l3 without disturbing the uniformity of the layer or affecting the arrangement of the leaves forming the layer.

In order to allow the door 29 to be opened or closed at thewish of the operator a block Sta. located adjacent one end thereof, is provided with openings for the reception of aspring detent 53 carried by lever 55 loosely mounted on the door support between blocks 36 and 3%, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. It is evident, therefore, that by merely raising or pushing down on lip 29a the connection between the detent on lever 55 and openings on blockfiiia can be broken and the door moved manually to the required position. This arrangement has been provided in order to allow the operator to inspect the charge, have access to the chamber at all times, and also to place additional charges in the chamber if it should be desired before the end of the cycle of machine operations.

The door isautomatically opened and closed will engage the forward end of slot 56a which.

will cause lever 55 to rock, and through the detent engagement described cause the door, if open, to close. On the extreme rearward movement of the ejector a similar engagement of pin 5612 with the rear end of slot 5% causes the door to open. g

In the operation of this device an operator at .A builds up a suitable number of long filler tobacco leaves in the chamber 28, thereby forming a layer of predetermined size and thickness, the lever P is depressed and the tilting mechanism op erates to first swing the transfer device laterally across the bunch rolling table l3 and then towards the short filler feeding mechanism S; By means of the lever 3| and rods 27, the transfer device always moves in a plane parallel to the rolling table so that it is properly positioned above the same for correct ejection of the long filler as a substantially intact layer onto the belt of the rolling mechanism. The block Ma is then j moved forward by movement of lever 63 and ejector 42 moves the layer of long filler tobacco onto the belt F of the rolling mechanism and positions it beneath the short filler feeding member S which thereupon moves down, forms a loop in the belt (as shown in Fig. 10), and deposits its charge upon the long filler tobacco placed toree ceive it. The'operator at B places a binder on the rolling table and presses foot pedal P after which operation the machine is in readiness to carry out its prescribed function of rolling the assembled long and short filler together with the binder into a composite bunch. In order to control the operation of the bunch making machine, the latter is equipped with two foot pedals P and P, of which pedal P is used by the operator attending to the transfer device l8, while pedal P is actuated by the bunch machine operator, both pedals being connected with a clutch control mechanism andconnecting members of conventional design, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, in such a way that the machine cannot be started unless both foot pedals are depressed by the attendants. The machine makes one complete cycle and then automatically stops.

Foot pedal P is mounted on a shaft 58 supported by bearings of the frame H. To said shaft is also fastened a lever 61 (Figs. 8 and 9) carrying a stud 62 engaging with a slot 63 of a toggle bar which is pivoted to a lever. 65 which is loosely mounted on shaft '60. Lever 65 l by means of a slotted lug 68 and an adjusting bar 6'! carries the foot pedal P. To'the center .clutch operating lever 12, while the other end is pivoted to a toggle control lever 13. The latter is loosely mounted on a stud 14 (Fig. 9) held by the main frame H. The clutch operating lever 12 is pivoted to a stud l and is equipped with a throw-out lever 16 carrying a follower TI engaging with a collar 18 actuating a clutch cone T9 of a clutch 80 mounted on the main drive shaft 8| of the machine. Clutch cone 19 is slidably mounted on shaft 82 and collar i8 is equipped with a tension spring 83 held by a collar 84 also fastened to shaft 82. The latter carries a worm 85 engaging with a worm gear 86 drivingthe main cam shaft 25 of the machine. To shaft 25 is attached a cam lug 81 provided for the purpose .of disengaging the clutch automatically after each cycle of the machine.

Levers 6| and 65 of vertical link are equipped with tension springs 88, 89 and 90, respectively, all of which are anchored to a stud 9| (Fig. 9) held by a plate 92 fastened to frame ll. Plate 92 also carries a pair of lugs 93, each of which supports an adjustable stop screw 94 provided for the purpose of checking the lowermost positions of levers El and65.

The several means referred to may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for

' the particular device selected to illustrate the invention'is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention is not therefore to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

,1'. A cigar machine for rolling short filler in long filler to form composite bunches, comprising a transfer mechanism for said long filler, said transfer having means for positioning said filler for transfer therein and discharge therefrom, a bunch rolling device, means for moving said mechanism over said device,.and means for ejecting said filler tobacco onto said device. 2. A cigar machine comprising a bunch rolling mechanism, a member arranged to receive predetermined quantities of long filler tobacco in layers, means to eject said layers as a unit from said member to said mechanism, means for delivering a charge of short filler tobacco upon each layer of long filler tobacco after it has been placed upon said mechanism, and means for rolling said associated tobaccos into a composite bunch.

3. In a cigar machine, the combination with a bunch rolling mechanism, of a conveyor for transferring a layer of long filler tobacco to said mechanism, said conveyor including a pocket into which said filler is placed, and an ejector for forcing said tobacco from said pocket.

' anism to roll said short and long filler into a composite bunch.

5. The method of forming composite long and short filler cigars which consists of forming a layer of long filler tobacco of predetermined size and thickness, transferring said layer;to a roll-. ing station forming a measured charge of short filler tobacco, placing said charge on said long .filler layer at said station, and then rolling said layer and charge together to form a composite bunch in which the long filler encloses said short filler and holds it relatively fixed in said bunch.

6. The method of forming cigars which comprises placing a charge of short filler tobacco on a layer of long filler tobacco of predetermined size and thickness, forming a loop in said long filler to receive said charge of short filler, rolling said long and short filler together to form a composite assembly, enclosing said assembly in a binder to form a bunch and then wrapping said bunch.

7. The'method of forming cigars which comprises placing a layer of long filler tobacco of predetermined size and thickness on a rolling table and forming a loop in said layer, depositing a charge of short filler tobacco on said layer in said loop, rolling said long and short fillers together to form an incomplete bunch assembly, and then rolling said assembly in a binder to complete the formation of a composite bunch 8. In a cigar machine, mechanism for transferring layers of long filler tobacco to a rolling table, comprising a rockable support, a pair of spaced plates mounted on said support and forming a tobacco positioning pocket, means for moving said mechanism to and from said table for discharging and loading said pocket, and an ejector for discharging said layers of tobacco from said chamber.

9. In a cigar machine, the combination with a bunch rolling mechanism, of a tobacco conveying device comprising a transfer member, a pivoted support for said member, means for moving said member transversely to said mechanism to bring it over said mechanism, and means for moving said member longitudinally to bring it to discharging position, and. an ejector mounted on said member for ejecting said layer from said member onto said mechanism.

10. In a cigar machine, a filler transfer mechanism, comprising spaced plates, one of said plates having an opening therein, and a pivoted door secured adjacent said opening, said opening forming a chamber with the other plate for the reception of a layer of filler tobacco, an ejector for ejecting said tobacco from said opening carried by said mechanism, and means for moving said mechanism to and from discharging position.

11. In a cigar machine, a filler transfer mechanism, comprising a horizontal bottom plate, a top plate spaced above said bottom plate, said top plate having an opening therein defining with the bottom plate a tobacco layer receiving and measuring chamber, a bunch rolling table, means mounting said transfer mechanism for movement to and-from said table, and means for discharging layers of filler tobacco from said mechanism onto said table.

12. In a cigar machine, the combination with a bunch rolling mechanism, of a filler transfer device, said device including a plurality of spaced plates, one of which is provided with an aperture defining with the other plate a tobacco layer forming and transferring pocket, a door mounted adjacent to and adapted to close said aperture, automatic means for opening and closing said aperture, and additional means mounting said door for manual operation.

13. In a cigar machine, the combination with a bunch rolling mechanism, of a filler transfer device, said device including a plurality of spaced plates, one of which is provided with an aperture defining with the other plate a tobacco layer forming and transferring chamber, a door mounted adjacent to and adapted to close said aperture,

automatic means for opening and closing said doonadditional means for opening saiddoor manually, said door operating means comprising a loosely mounted lever, a detent carried by said lever, a block fixed to said door and provided with recesses for effecting a connection between said detent and door for automatic movement, the engagement between the lever and block being so arranged that manually applied force will break said connection and release said door for m nual opening or closing. 7

14. In a cigar machine, a bunch rolling table, a filler transfer mechanism, means mounting said mechanism for movement to and from said table, said means comprising a lever supporting said mechanism for movement in one plane and a second lever supporting said first named lever for movement ina plane at right angles to said first plane of movement.

15. In a cigar machine, a bunch rolling table,

a filler transfer mechanism including a transfer chamber, means mounting said chamber for parallel motion over said table, said means including a lever supporting said table for lateral movement toand from said table, a second lever supporting saidfirst lever, and means for rock ing said secondlever to swing said chamber longitudinally over said table.

16. In a cigar machine, a bunch rolling table, a filler transfer including a chamber for transferring layers of long filler leaves, an ejector mounted in said chamber for discharging said layers therefrom, a rockable support for said mechanism arranged to swing said mechanism in one plane over said table, a lever mounting said support and arranged to swing said mechanism in a plane at right angles to the first mentioned plane, and means on said support for moving said ejector to and from ejecting position.

I 17. In a cigar machine, a bunch rolling apron, means for feeding separate portions of, long filler tobacco in a laminated assembly to said apron, means for feeding separate portions of short filler tobacco to said apron upon said assembly, and

means for rolling said assembly portions into composite cigar bunches.

18. The method offorming composite cigar bunches which comprises forming a separate charge of short filler tobacco, forming a thin layer of long filler tobacco of predetermined dimensions, associating said two filler tobaccos to form a partial bunch with the short filler located in a pocket formed inthe long filler tobacco, and rolling said partial bunch in a binder to complete the formation of. said composite bunch.

19. The method of making cigars which con-' sists of forming a charge of short filler tobacco,

arranging long filler tobacco leaves in a restricted said mechanism said means being so arranged that in its movement it removes said layer from said pocket in substantially the arrangement it assumed while in said pocket.

21. In a cigar machine, a device for forming a charge of short filler tobacco, means for conveying a charge of long filler tobacco for assembly With said short filler into a composite bunch, said means including a pocket in which leaves are arranged in a thin layer, and means for moving said layer edgewise from said pocket in complete layer formation for association with said short filler. I

22. In a cigar machine, the combination with bunch rolling mechanism, of means for feeding assembled units of long filler tobacco, means for forming and feeding separatecharges of short filler tobacco, means for moving said long filler unit onto said mechanism and into position for assembly with said short filler tobacco, and means for positioning said short filler charges on said long filler units for assembly therewith into a composite cigar bunch.

SIGURD CLAUSEN. 

